realmofadventurefandomcom-20200216-history
Artazostra Zousha
Notes 1. Artazostra does not look like the average Shackles pirate, with her plump physique and her delicate, round face with a smile that shows perfect teeth. She tends to wear her hair up hidden in a masterfully-tied turban, which shows her pointy, half-elven ears. She dresses in tastefully-made leathers that remain functional while allowing her to show off her body, and wears a sash around her large waist with a scimitar tucked into it. 2. Artazostra prefers to be referred to by her self-chosen nickname "The Qadiran," because she's a fugitive. Not from justice, but from family. Born the illegitimate child of a Qadiran spice trader and an elven ambassador of Kyonin, her very traditionalist grandfather demanded she be sent to a monastery of Sarenrae to reduce the shame of it. Being a woman who craved excitement and pleasure in her life, that seemed like death to Artazostra, so she stowed away on a ship bound for the Shackles. 3. When she was young, Artazostra was tutored by one of the legendary Qadiran veil mages. This was something else her grandfather did not approve of, seeing it as encouraging her to become more integrated into a family she did not belong in. While Artazostra never actually completed her mystical training, she had a real talent for it, though she preferred the excitement of evoking, rather than the subtlety of illusions. 4. It was on her voyage to the Shackles that Artazostra learned the sailor's trade, as well as how to fight. The captain of the vessel she stowed aboard was a tough, battle-hardened woman who served Qadira as a privateer. Upon discovering her, she protected the former noblewoman from being harassed by the crew and made her work to earn her keep aboard the ship. Seeing that she'd be nothing but a target to less scrupulous pirates, she taught Artazostra how to dance and how to translate that dance into fighting. By the time they actually arrived in the Shackles, Artazostra was confident she'd make a name for herself in the Shackles...perhaps a bit too confident. 5. Shortly after arriving in Port Peril, Artazostra began throwing money around at the Formidably Maid seeking info on how to make it as a pirate and to impress the locals. While she was able to astound with how much food and alcohol she could put away, she attracted the wrong kind of attention, finding herself press-ganged that very night. Goals 1. Artazostra's immediate goal is to extricate herself from the foul situation she's landed herself in. Following that, she hopes to make a name for herself in the Shackles, so she can make plenty of money and laze about in the lap of luxury once more, while avoiding any agents her grandfather may send to return her to Qadira. 2. My main goal with this character was to play something very unlike the paladins I normally do. The Qadiran means well, but she's hedonistic and greedy when it comes to the things she loves most: jewelry, alcohol, food and handsome men. Secrets 1. Artazostra's most closely guarded secret is, of course, that she's the daughter of a Qadiran merchant prince. She fears that if word got out, she'd be held for ransom and then sent back to Qadira, where her grandfather would ship her off to a boring cloister. 2. Artazostra's mother, a Kyonin ambassador to Qadira, has been looking for her since shortly after Artazostra disappeared. She'd heard what her grandfather was planning and decided to take her off her lover's family's hands. Upon hearing Artazostra ran away to the Shackles, she's assembling a crew to sail to the Shackles to find and save her. Friends/Enemies 1. Captain Maringa of the ship Gulzar is Artazostra's only real friend in the world, or so The Qadiran would claim. Maringa is a no-nonsense mercenary who serves Qadira for coin, protecting their ships from raids by unscrupulous Chelaxians, boisterous Taldans or obnoxious Andorans. She discovered Artazostra hiding (not very well, she might add) among the Gulzar's cargo. When Artazostra explained herself, Maringa, a devout Calistrian, sympathized, and allowed Artazostra to remain, provided she was willing to work and learn. She was surprised by the girl's enthusiasm, and worried that the men of the Shackles would use and abuse her, so she taught Artazostra her ways, but when they docked in Port Peril and Artazostra left, Maringa worried the girl was setting herself up for trouble. 2. Abd-Al Aziz ibn Barakat is Artazostra's grandfather, an old Qadiran noble who amassed great wealth fighting against Taldor many years ago. Abd-Al Aziz is a staunch traditionalist, believing in very formal behavior for both men or women and proper submission to the will of the gods. He was incredibly disappointed when his son went into trade, but mostly kept his mouth shut as the money he brought in shored up Abd-Al Aziz's dwinding fortunes. When his son went and had an affair with an elven ambassador and kept the illegitimate offspring of that affair, however, Abd-Al Aziz refused to sit idly by. He continually hounded his son and granddaughter trying to minimize the "shame" done to the family, going so far as to try and pay for her kidnapping and transport to a distant and strict Saranraean temple where she could rot in obscurity. Artazostra ran away from home before the mercenaries could find her. 3. Artazostra's tutor was named Djamila, a Mage of the Veil. Djamila never showed her true identity to her clients, masking her form in illusions, appearing in a different disguise every time she came to teach Artazostra. While Artazostra was a precocious student, she frequently frustrated Djamila with her insistence on learning the flashy, destructive spells of the Evocation school, especially how the energies mixed and played out, determining what element was harnessed. Djamila was an illusionist and relied on subtlety and deception. She never finished training Artazostra, as she ran away before she could cast her first spell. Memories 1. Artazostra remembers her magical training well, having memorized Djamila's lectures almost word for word. She's often frustrated that she can't quite call the energies to produce a proper spell now, due to running away before her mage's training could be completed. When Djamila first appeared at the estate, she looked like an old, veiled woman who spoke like a doddering old granny, so no one was more surprised than her pupil when the next day a tall and handsome man appeared at the door claiming to be Djamila. It was at that time that Artazostra realized how interesting magic truly was, and if she has one regret, it's not completing that training. 2. Stowing away aboard the Gulzar was not exactly easy for Artazostra. She initially tried to hide in a barrel, like she'd heard stowaways did in stories, but quickly realized that wouldn't work because fictional stowaways were generally much thinner than her. Then she tried to hide in a net full of goods being loaded on, but only managed to embarass herself by getting herself tangled. Finally she managed to trick her way on board by conning a drunk sailor into switching clothes with her, and pretending to be a herder getting livestock Maringa had captured off the ship, and then telling the other herders she was going to check for straggling chickens, when she really just hid among the cargo as the ship left. She was discovered relatively quickly, however, as Maringa noticed that something a lot larger than rats was making a dent in their food supplies... 3. The night Artazostra was press-ganged isn't too clear a memory for obvious reasons. She had just arrived in Port Peril and was excited for her first real piratical experience. She sought out a drinking establishment and was pointed to the Formidably Maid, where she began spending coin like water, ordering several rounds for the whole house and a feast of food that it looked would take two people to eat. She surprised the tavern by not only consuming all that food, but also by washing it down with so much alcohol. She enjoyed being able to cut loose here, to drink and cuss and belch without any grandfather constantly snapping at her. Which is why she didn't notice something being slipped into her drink...or maybe it was a cudgel rising behind ther? She couldn't remember. All she remembers is everything spinning and going black. There was a brief period of lucidity where her vision was still blurry, and she heard a rough voice asking what her name was. Barely able to string a full thought together, she slurred "I'm a Qadiran," before everything went black again. Category:Half elves Category:Rogues Zousha, Artazostra